Category Manager - Engineering Services & Materials

Job Title: Category Manager - Engineering Services & Materials Location: Farnborough Term: 6 Months IR35: INSIDE Day Rate: £DOE Working Pattern: Hybrid (3 days per week onsite) Department: Supply Chain & Procurement The Role We are working with a £2bn global defence and security organisation delivering mission-critical solutions across land, sea, air, space and cyber. Due to continued growth and transformation across the business, they are looking for an experienced Category Manager - Engineering Services & Materials to join their Materials, Manufacturing & Products team. This is an excellent opportunity for a procurement professional to play a key role in shaping category strategy, developing supplier relationships and delivering commercial value across a complex engineering and technology environment. You will work closely with stakeholders across the organisation, influencing business planning, developing sourcing strategies and managing strategic suppliers across engineering services and materials. Experience working with NEC3/NEC4 contracts, construction procurement, contract administration, change control, risk management and commercial governance advantageous. Exposure to Net Zero initiatives, sustainability and early-stage project development/RIBA 0-2 highly desirable. Key Responsibilities Develop and execute category strategies for Engineering Services and Materials. Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers, providing early procurement engagement to influence business planning. Lead sourcing activity, including developing sourcing strategies, supporting investment cases, running competitive tenders and negotiating complex contracts. Identify opportunities to deliver cost savings, value, innovation and supply-chain improvements. Manage category-specific risks including supply resilience, information security, geopolitical, financial and sustainability risks. Support Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) across key contracts, ensuring supplier performance, innovation and value realisation. Use market intelligence and supplier insight to inform sourcing and category decisions. Work collaboratively across engineering, manufacturing, finance, operations and other business functions. Support procurement and supply-chain transformation, including the transition from SAP Ariba to Oracle Fusion and development of a mature Source-to-Pay model. Challenge existing ways of working and contribute to the continued development of the procurement function. Balance commercial, operational and risk considerations to achieve the best outcomes for the business. About You We are looking for an experienced procurement/category management professional who can operate confidently within a complex engineering or technology-led environment. A degree or equivalent professional experience. 3+ years' strategic category management experience within similar categories of spend. Proven experience developing and implementing procurement/category strategies. Experience negotiating manufacturing, engineering services and supply contracts. Strong supplier relationship management and stakeholder engagement experience. Excellent commercial, negotiation and influencing skills. Experience managing procurement activity across the project lifecycle. Strong understanding of procurement risk, supply resilience and commercial governance. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. The ability to work independently, interpret data and use insight to support decision making. A collaborative approach and the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels. Practical experience with Source-to-Pay (S2P) technology. MCIPS qualification or active progression towards MCIPS would be desirable. ***PLEASE NOTE*** Security Clearance (SC) or eligibility to gain is required to be considered for this vacancy Services advertised by Gold Group are those of an Agency and/or an Employment Business. We will contact you within the next 14 days if you are selected for interview. For a copy of our privacy policy please visit our website.